Mtjee-oiir-esfikxre psocess



J. G. P. EVANS.-

CRUDE OIL REFINING PROCESS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 1919. 1,366,642.. Patented Jan. 25, 192.

JEWIIETT l?. E'VMTS, 0F HANDLEYpTEXAS.

To all whom it may concern. Be it known that l, Jnwnfrr G. P, E'vans, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at Handley, in the county of rlarrant and State of rlexas, have invented certain new and useful llinprovements in Urude-Oil-Refining Processes, of which the following is a specification. i

This invention has to do with reining crude oil.

rl`he result sought is to produce refined oil in an expeditious andeconornical manner and obviate acid treatment; also to do away with water-circulation or any means external, of the still to condense the hot vapors.

llt is further proposed to produce such refined oil, as gasolene direct from the still and which will test sweet when delivered from normal temperature, l to reduce the `temperature ofthe said prodthe still and register all the points of a high grade fuel oil.'

lln carryingout the invention it is pro lposedto construct a still so that the latent heat of vaporization is used to heat' the oil being refined and wherein the vapors ,are

condensed by being brought into contact with similar vapors, but of a lesser degree of heat, the condensation being eected entirely within the still.

ln such a device a liquid admitted at a norin al temperature is subjected to the refining process, `whereby the relined products are taken out of the still substantially at said and said liquid is used ucts..

Successful results have been had with a still divided by transverse partitions or bulliheads into a plurality of successive sections with a heating unit under the first section anda liquid supply` entering the last or most remote section. Means for causing the supplied liquid to flow forwardly from omesso-- tion to the next is included together with an overiow for maintaining a level in the still. Condensing pans aredisposed over each section and from each pan a discharge pipe leads through the supplied or stock liquid, in which it is kept immersed. By contact the heat supplied to the first section will be transmitted to the next section and s o on from section to section. rlhus the liquid in eachsuccessive section rearwardly will be at a lesser degree of heat and as such liquid vaporizes, it will do so at a lesser degree of heat than the liquid which ize and passes to the next section forward.

Speeication-of Letters Patent.

refuses to vapor? Patented dan;V 25, 1921.,

application aieaiaiwentei ii,` Araie. serial no. esame. y

T he hot vapor rising from a section and encountering the vapor of the section which hasa lower degree of heat, will condense as is evident.

` The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following speci- ,fication and by reference to the accompany ing drawings, in which an example of the iifnention is shown, and wherein:

`ligure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a still constructed in accordance with this invention,

ig is a rear end elevation of the same, an

Fig. 3 is a cross 'sectional view on the line 3 3 @i rig. i.

ln the drawings the numeral 10 designates an elongated horizontal cylindrical drum or casing preferably formed of metal similar to boiler plate, but the shape and material are subject to change and substitution. rlhe drum has'av front end cap 11 and a rear end cap 12 and is covered, exceptits cap 12, with a jacket 13 of suitable insulating material, whereby the heat is retained in the drum., The drum is divided from front to rear, into a .plurality of successive sections or compartments by means of transverse partitions 14 preferably of plate metal, but not necessarily so. These artitions terminate short of the top of the rum so as to maintain a passage thereover. The' number of sections may be varied and would depend upon the temperarture and liquid refined. Y

flow forwardl from each section to its next section, t rough said pipes until the sections are all filled to a liquid line or limit.

An overfiow pipe 17 'extends from the front section through the partitions and over the bottom of the drum. Thisl pipe 17 after passing through the rear cap 12 is bent upward into an inverted Ocse-neck 18, which determines the liquid line in the drum;

Just above the liquid line in section, except the front section, a condensing pan or hopper 19 is disposed longitudinally and extends Ifrom one partition to next and to which it is fastened. a V-shape in lcross-section and has its d1- verging sides extending upwardly to the walls of the drum.

Each hopper exhibits u Eachhopper has an cessed to form with the walls ofk thedrum,

- slots -through which vapors arising from sSections through whichv it passes.

the liquid below, may pass. These hoppers do not extend above the partitions and thusr leave an unobstructed passage over the par` titions. F rom -the-bottom and rear end of each hopper, a `condensate pipe 21 leads rearwardly and extends through the 'partitions and the rear cap'12.

A re box 22 is disposed under the front or rst section and the jacket is omitted from the under side of the drum over the lire box. The box has a flue 23 and a suitable fire of any nature may bemaintained Y in said box. It has been found that it is only necessary to heat the first section, because the heat will be transmitted from the liquid-in the first section to next section by the 'rst partition and s o on rearwardly, whereby the liquid in each section will be heated, but of course eachsuccessive section to a lesser degree. i i In operating the still, liquid to be refined, such as crude oil, isl supplied to the sections until the drum is lilled 'to the overflow or liquid line. The oil in the irst section is heated and vapor arises from the same. ,As the front`cap`11 is heated and insulated and the rear cap is not, the tendency .ofthe vapors is to pass rearward over vthe rst partition. The oil which vaporized in the first section would not vaporize while .in

the second section -as the degree of .heat of' the latter is lower. However, a certain portion of the oil will vaporize in the second section and these vapors pass upward, around the hopper and through the lslots 20,.

wlfere the vapors owing rearward from the first section are encountered. These vapors of two degree ranges meet and tend to-mingle at an intermediate degreevof heat, with lthe result that a'portion ,of the comingled vapors condenses and' settles into the' hopper from which the condensate .passes out through the pipe 21; while the lighter degree vapors pass rearward: to the next'- section where the condensating operation is repeated.

'1t is obvious that acondensing operation will be had over each hopper and the vapors will condense at a lesser degree over each successive hopper' rearwardly until the last hopper is encountered 'where the temperature will be almost the same as` that of the 'crude oil entering the last section.` It will ized in the first section will flow back through y lthe subsequent sections to the goose-neck I18 by way of pipe 17; however -in such passage the residuum will be robbed oit' its heat by the oil vstored, inthe various It will further be seen that the condensate pipes 21 are submerged'in the crude oil, so' that said condensates are robbed of their heat as they 'pass through the various sections. The

heat absorbed from the pipes 17 and 21 acts to raise the temperature ofv the oil in its various sections. The 4condensate or refined products passing out of the pipes 21 will show diierent grades, having been condensed at diiferent'degrees; however these rened products will be clear and free from discoloration and no further treatment will be necessary. In refining parlance, a clean product is said to be sweet, whereas a discolored or yellow product is called sour and subsequent treatment is required to make the product sweet. lAs my products are sweet when delivered by the pipes 21, no subsequent treatment is necessary.

One of the results had in this still is that the heat imparted to the liquid being refined, to cause it to vaporize, is reclaimed to a great extent from said vapors, after the latter have .been condensed and utilized in vaporizing liquids iof lesser degree of heat, until the heat-is entirely dissipated.

' This is due to the fact that the heat is confined inthe still and thoroughly absorbed.

The condensing of the vapors within the still without the influence of an external condenser, is undoubtedly responsible for the clear and sweet rened products.

What Iclaim is:

1. A process of refining liquids in an inclosed still, which includes segregating in a still, the crude liquid into bodies, applying heat only tothe body of crude liquid requiring the maximum degree of heat to vaporize its volatile elements and heating said other bodies by transmission of the heat through contact, vaporizing the'volatile elements of Y j each body capable of being vaporized at the degree of heat attained by said body, condensing in the same still by bringing vapors of a higher degree of heat into contact with vapors of a lesser degree of heat, while maintaining the same free from contact with said li uid bodies, and separately collecting and withdrawing the condensed liquids. y

2.,The herein-described process of refining liquids, comprising subjecting one end of a body of the liquid to heat and transmitting the heat by contact toward the opposite 115 end of the body so that the body decreases in temperature toward such opposite end, passing lthe vapors from the portion of the body having the higher degree of heat into contact with the vapors of a lower degree of Y zontal position and in close relation, subjecting one body to the action of heat and transferring the heat in succession by contact from one body to the other, passing the vapors from each body into contact with the vapors from the succeeding body of lower temperature While maintaining the vapors free from contact with the liquid bodies for superheating the lower temperature vapors and condensing the higher temperature vapors, and separately collecting and withdrawing the condensed vapors While maintaining them free from Contact with said liquid bodies.

4. The herein-described process of refining liquids, comprising holding a plurality of bodies of liquid in end-to-end relation, subjecting one body to the action of heat and transferrlng the heat in succession by conn tact from one body to the other, passing the vapors from each body upon one side of the succeeding body of lower temperature to contact with the lower temperature vapors of such succeeding body whereby the lower temperature yapors are superheated and the higher temperature vapors condensed, separately collecting the condensed vapors "1n proximity to said bodies while maintaining the condensed vapors free from contact withv the liquid bodies, and withdrawing the collected condensates.

l 5. The herein-described process of refinbody through a longitudinal .passage within the still extending over the several bodies and causing the vapors from each body to contact with the vapors from the succeeding lower temperature body whereby the higher temperature bodies are'condensed and the lower temperature vapors superheated, collecting the condensed vapors within the longitudinal passage while maintaining themfree from contact with the liquid bodies, and separately' withdrawing the condensates and passing the same through the lower te1npera' ture bodies to preheat the same.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JEWETT G. P. EVANS. 

